Best practices and lessons learned in academic progression in nursing: A scoping review

Background: The movement to advance academic preparation of entry-level nurses to the baccalaureate degree across the United States (U.S.) prompted the emergence of collaborative academic progression models. Since the National Academy of Medicine's (2010) call to action, nine states responded with academic progression collaboration models of nursing education to address the nursing shortage and prepare nurses for the increase in healthcare complexity. Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review is to examine key features including best practices and lessons learned of academic progression initiatives in nine states: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington. States that established academic progression models later are also included in this review. Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) procedures for scoping review were implemented to synthesize literature from multiple relevant sources including peer-reviewed journals and gray literature. Results: Best practices of academic progression models include local collaboration between academic institutions and program policy such as articulation agreements, seamless progression, and course transfer. Lessons learned include dissonance in faculty advising, employer support, and a paucity of data for robust program evaluation. Conclusions: Academic progression models that not only remove barriers for students to attain the BSN degree but also facilitate collaboration and innovative learning demonstrate success in promoting meaningful academic progression and education mobility.